Rezension für:

George Szell conducts Dvorák & Brahms Antonín Dvořák | Johannes Brahms

CD aud 95.625

Die Presse 09.08.2013 (Wilhelm Sinkovicz - 2013.08.09)

Festspiele Luzern: Szell, Stern, Ansermet und der junge Maazel

Aus den Archiven kommen nun bedeutende Dokumente einer eminenten Tradition

Festspiele Luzern: Szell, Stern, Ansermet und der junge Maazel Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

https://hdmusic.me APRIL 14, 2020 ( - 2020.04.14) source: https://hdmusic.me/george-szell-conducts...

I enjoyed this disc enormously. Neither orchestra is technically flawless but both play extremely well for Szell and the minor blemishes, such as they are, are more than offset by the sense of spirit in both performances. As for Szell, he’s on excellent form here, conducting two excellent and charismatic performances.

I’m delighted that these two performances have been made available on CD. Since the presentation standards are up to ’s usual high standards, which enhances the appeal of this release, this disc is a very enticing proposition. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Record Geijutsu January 2014 ( - 2014.01.01)

Japanische Rezension siehe PDF!

page 1 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de ensuite Kulturmagazin Nr. 132 | Dezember 2013 (Francois Lilienfeld - 2013.12.01)

Als es noch IMF hieß…

Dass er [Szell] – im Konzertsaal noch mehr als im Aufnahme-Studio – auch emotionell und energiegeladen sein konnte, zeigt das Finale der Ersten von Brahms, 1962 mit dem Schweizer Festspielorchester aufgeführt. Die Coda wurde wohl selten so überschwänglich, ja rasant gespielt. Ein triumphales Ende einer großartigen Aufführung! Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Fanfare 24.03.2015 (Henry Fogel - 2015.03.24)

Szell recorded both of these works more than once, and those recordings are highly regarded. Indeed, collectors particularly value a Concertgebouw Dvořák Eighth Symphony of his. So why single out this disc for Classical Hall of Fame status? The evidence is in the listening: Szell in live concert was meaningfully more free and flexible than in the studio, particularly in Europe, and both of these works benefit from that.

The Dvořák is perhaps the stronger of the two performances, though both are gripping and memorable in their own ways. The familiarity of the Czech Philharmonic with this score, which it must know by heart, when added to Szell’s rigor, results in a performance that is one of the truly great renditions on disc. Even the brief ensemble mess in the coda of the third movement doesn’t detract from the impact of this performance. To the qualities we know of Szell’s Dvořák, which include clean and clear textures, carefully judged balances, taut rhythms, and a logical juxtaposition and flow of tempo relationships, this performance adds a feeling of spontaneity and improvisation not always present with Szell. The sweet string tone, the impeccable ensemble between and among players in different sections as well as the same section, the tasteful but definite application of portamento, the sense of ebullience from beginning to end—all of these add up to a special sense of occasion. The most obvious point at which to compare this to Szell’s studio recording is the final coda. In all his recorded performances he applies an accelerando and a touch of extra energy. But here those qualities are in extra supply, with a unique sense of abandon that brings the symphony to a particularly thrilling close. The monaural recording is well balanced, clear, and surprisingly transparent.

The Brahms is almost at that same level. One doesn’t have the sense of utter comfort with the music that the Czech players bring to the Dvořák, and one recognizes that this is an ad hoc orchestra that came together for the Lucerne Festival, and while its members play well enough they do not convey the utter unity of sound picture and phrasing as one hears in the Czech players (or, for that matter, in Szell’s Cleveland Orchestra). However, compensating for that is again an improvisatory spirit that is not present to the same degree in those studio recordings, a sense of conductor and orchestra seeming to discover the music as they play it. Szell is more flexible, with a greater range between his dynamic and tempo extremes, and there is a sense of digging in from the string players that brings an extra intensity to the music. This stands as one of the great Brahms Firsts on disc, with Szell’s usual care for structure, shape, and balance married again to a sense of urgency and theater that we do not always hear in his music-making. Again, the monaural sound is fine, though a bit drier than the Dvořák.

This new series from the Lucerne Festival Archives on Audite promises much to discerning collectors. This is a great start. Interesting and intelligent program notes accompany the disc.

page 2 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Diapason N° 626 Juillet - Août 2014 (Rémy Louis - 2014.07.01)

Il faut entendre les très grands artistes en public. Car la tension propre au concert autorise une liberté plus grande, sinon un supplément d'âme. Ces archives somptueuses venues de Lucerne nous font entendre un George Szell (1897-1970) toujours intensément persuasif, mais plus ouvert à l'effusion romantique qu'à l'accoutumée. L'irrésistible Symphonie n° 8 de Dvorak (1969) avec la Philharmonie tchèque semble faire retour sur ses années d'avant-guerre, quand il dirigeait le Théâtre allemand de Prague (il enregistra alors, outre le légendaire concerto pour violoncelle avec Casals, une «Nouveau Monde» bien plus méconnue: elle existe en CD chez Dutton). L'introduction, les sections lentes en général, ont une douceur frappante, un rubato délié et sensible. Le phrasé musardant de l'Allegretto répond à la plénitude lyrique et poétique de l'Adagio. Mais que surviennent les passages rapides, et la carrure de la direction s'impose dans un magistral effet de contraste. Une puissance sombre imprègne la pâte sonore des cordes dans les grands développements. L'énergie et la fulgurance sont mesurées à l'aune d'un rhapsodisme plus ouvert à la fantaisie de l'instant que dans les gravures de studio. Et quelle clarté d'articulation, quelle forme impériale, sans scorie ni lourdeur!

Cette bande est aussi un merveilleux document sur la Philharmonie tchèque d'alors: la sonorité légère et vibrée du cor solo, la finesse du premier vi olon, les appels de trompettes posés sans sécheresse, l'élan de la flûte solo (parfois dépassée par les événements, certes) sont enchanteurs.

A la tête du plus modeste Orchestre suisse du Festival (on entend quelques détails moins aboutis de-ci de-là), la Symphonie n° 1 de Brahms (1962) démontre ensuite sa trempe d'ingénieur qui ne renonce jamais. L'élan des développements, le mélange de densité et de clarté évoquent indubitablement le modèle toscaninien révéré ... et transcendent les musiciens. La fin du premier mouvement, les apogées de l'Andante sostenuto sont saisissants. Et quelle présence dans les pizzicatos de l'Adagio ouvrant le dernier mouvement! Le lyrisme est une nouvelle fois plus large, plus à fleur de peau qu'en studio. Autorité sans réplique, hauteur de l'inspiration: Szell a rarement paru aussi viscéralement européen qu'ici, et c'est grandiose!

Revue Musicale 66e année, N° 4 (Décembre 2013) (M. Tétaz-Gramegna - 2013.12.01)

Une histoire sonore du Festival de Lucerne

Un vrai bonheur de la musique! La verve populaire, les moments d'exubérance, à peine interrompus par quelques passages plus dramatiques, le côté rhapsodique sont maîtrisés avec autorité et néanmoins souplesse. Et la couleur de l'orchestre, l'équilibre des registres, la chaleur des timbres émerveillent. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 3 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Scherzo diciembre 2013 (Enrique Pérez Adrián - 2013.12.01)

Históricos en Lucerna

Históricos en Lucerna Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

www.classical.net 20.12.2013 (Brian Wigman - 2013.12.20)

Lucerne Festival – Historic Performances

This is the stuff that legends are made of. Receiving their first outing on disc, both live performances from the Lucerne Festival feature a flexibility and spontaneity that rockets them to the top of the heap. In each work, the competition comes directly from Szell himself, as these are pieces that he recorded numerous times throughout his storied career. Great at those are, the additional warmth and excitement of being live is evident in nearly every bar. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Fanfare February 2014 (Mortimer H. Frank - 2014.02.06)

At a bit more than 81 minutes, this may well be the longest CD currently available. Perhaps what is most remarkable about it is that its sound is in no way compromised by its length. To be sure, both works were recorded in stereo by Szell with his Cleveland orchestra and are sonically a bit more attractive than these live accounts recorded in concert at a closer perspective. Moreover, this (presumably) ad hoc Swiss Festival ensemble heard in the Brahms score is not quite a match for Szell’s Cleveland ensemble in terms of spit-and-polish perfection. Perhaps, what is most striking about these readings is how often they come close to Szell’s studio efforts in terms of tempo, sometimes a bit either slower or faster than his studio versions, but never to the point where a radical change in pacing from one reading to the other is evident. For those who revere Szell, this disc may well prove redundant or attractive. Either way, both accounts are valuable as documents of the work of one of the leading maestros of his time.

American Record Guide 20.01.2014 (Donald R Vroon - 2014.01.20)

These are from 1962 (Brahms) and 1969 (Dvorak, with the Czech orchestra). George Szell’s Dvorak is always great, and there’s plenty of vitality in his Brahms. The Czech orchestra with Szell is a winning combination, though he manages to make the Cleveland Orchestra sound utterly Czech in his two recordings of the Dvorak with them. In fact, those recordings are so good that if you have either you need not bother with this one. Here the sound is too close-up; even a little irritating. That applies to both symphonies. There is no warmth at all.

And I don’t like the Lucerne clarinet and flute soloists. Their sound is hard and brittle. So this is for people who can’t get the Cleveland recordings.

page 4 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Infodad.com October 31, 2013 ( - 2013.10.31)

[...] when the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell played Mozart, it did so with the clarity of a chamber ensemble, so perfectly did every single element balance every other one and so well did Szell understand the precise workings of every instrument under his command. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

hifi & records 2/2014 (Uwe Steiner - 2014.04.01)

So aus einem Guss habe ich die eher rhapsodisch geformte Symphonie kaum je erlebt. Der idiomatische, warme und singende Ton des Prager Orchesters lässt das Dokument noch wertvoller erscheinen als Szells Studioversion mit seinem Cleveland Orchestra. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung Nr. 49, 28. Februar 2014 (tsr - 2014.02.28)

George Szell in Luzern

In allen Sätzen überrascht Szell mit einer flexiblen Agogik und einer teilweise eigenwilligen Beleuchtung der Nebenstimmen. Ähnliche Eigenschaften charakterisieren auch die Interpretation von Brahms’ erster Sinfonie, einem Live-Mitschnitt aus dem Jahr 1962. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

klassik.com 23.02.2014 (Dr. Daniel Krause - 2014.02.23) source: http://magazin.klassik.com/reviews/revie...

Szell, George dirigiert – Werke von Dvorak & Brahms: Form mit Inhalt

Meisterlich wie eh und je – George Szell in Luzern.

Audite macht seinem Ruf alle Ehre. Das Booklet – bei vielen Labels der schwächste Bestandteil des Ganzen – ist seriös redigiert worden. Malte Lohmann hat einen außergewöhnlich profunden Essay verfasst, der musikalische, anekdotische und zeitgeschichtliche Aspekte berücksichtigt. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 5 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de www.musicweb-international.com 14.01.2014 (John Sheppard - 2014.01.14)

George Szell’s many recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra are almost always characterised by their clear textures, firm rhythmic grasp and fundamental musicality. His reputation as an orchestral dictator – bully, even – may put some listeners off, but listening today one can forget that and enjoy performances that grip from start to finish. The only concern can be that there is too much control and too little spontaneity, reducing the emotional temperature of the music.

That is not the case here with these two live performances at the Lucerne Festival. In the Dvořák in particular the inflexibility which is sometimes found in Szell’s studio recordings is wholly absent. Not that even here Szell could be accused of being wilful, but phrases are allowed to finish more naturally and minor tempo changes occur with apparent spontaneity. The Czech Philharmonic in the late 1960s were at the peak of their form and playing with an individuality in both wind and strings which, as with so many orchestras, has to some degree been lost in more recent years. Occasionally there are minor inaccuracies typical of any concert performance, but these are rare and unimportant. The sound as presented here from broadcast tapes is much more than tolerable for its date, helped no doubt by Szell’s legendary ability to clarify orchestral textures. I usually prefer applause to be omitted, but on this occasion it is so obviously merited that I not merely tolerated it but even welcomed it as being a natural reaction to such a superb performance.

The earlier performance of Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 has similar virtues although the orchestra is perhaps less individual. I am unclear as to whether the Swiss Festival Orchestra was a single permanent orchestra or was recruited specifically for the Festival. Again, however, it is similar in general approach to Szell’s studio recordings of the work but with more freedom and more energy.

The booklet is a model of how to add to the listener’s enjoyment of historic live performances, with photographs of Szell, presumably in Lucerne but lacking details of dates or places, and a lengthy and very interesting article on the conductor and the Festival by Malte Lohmann. The cover indicates that these recordings were previously unreleased. It is good that such excellent performances are now available and so well presented on this generously filled disc.

Badisches Tagblatt Mittwoch, 09. Oktober 2013 (Karl Nagel - 2013.10.09)

Sternstunden der Musik aus Luzerner Festspielzeit

Im Konzert vom 30. August 1969 kann man erleben, wie der Maestro die Musiker bei der achten Sinfonie von Dvorak zu Höchstleistungen animiert. Jede Feinheit wird plastisch hörbar. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 6 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Musica numero 251 - novembre 2013 (Giuseppe Rossi - 2013.11.01)

Sul piano tecnico confermano l’accuratezza e il rigore che Szell sapeva ottenere da qualsiasi orchestra con la quale si trovasse a collaborare, una precisione ritmica, una chiarezza formale e un nitore di dettagli sorprendentemente moderni per un interprete nato nel 1897. Qualche piccola sbavatura degli ottoni non compromette quella che resta probabilmente la migliore incisione che ci abbia lasciato dell’Ottava di Dvorák, impreziosita dal velluto timbrico e dalla nobiltà di fraseggio della Filarmonica Ceca in questo repertorio non di poco superiore al virtuosismo lucente della Cleveland Orchestra. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

www.hmv.co.jp Wednesday, July 17th 2013 (King International - 2013.07.17)

3. Teil der Lucerne Festival-Serie

Gute Live-Aufnahme von George Szell

Deutsche Übersetzung:

Beachtung muss man der mit dem First-Master-Release ausgezeichneten "Lucerne Festival"-Serie des bewährten Labels audite schenken. Nach Stern (aud. 95624) und Haskil / Casadesus (aud. 95623) ist der 3. Teil mit der Symphonie Nr. 1 von Brahms und Dvoraks Symphonie Nr. 8 unter George Szell der beste Teil!

Szell wurde im Jahr 1897 in Budapest geboren, zog nach Wien, lernte in der Wien Academy of Music. Bereits im Alter von 16 Jahren leitete er die Wiener Symphoniker, aufgrund seines Talents wurde er Konzertmeister unter der Leitung von Erich Kleiber an der Berliner Staatsoper und war bereits 1924 erfolgreich als Dirigent. Im Jahr 1939 entschloss er sich aufgrund der Auswirkungen des Zweiten Weltkrieges in New York zu bleiben, wonach er auf Tourneen die ganze Welt bereiste und das Cleveland Orchestra zu einem der weltweit führenden Orchestern machte.

Aus Szells späteren Jahren gibt es zwei herausragende Aufnahmen der Symphonie Nr. 8 von Dvoraks sowie der Ersten Symphonie von Brahms aus den Jahren 1969 und 1970, wovon eine auf dieser CD verewigt ist. Sowohl das Lucerne Festival Orchestra als auch Szell zeigen sich hier auf dem Höhepunkt ihres Könnens, erlauben sich keine Kompromisse. Insbesondere die Wärme im dritten Satz der Dvorakschen Symphonie überzeugt.

Die Erste Symphonie von Brahms findet sich auf dieser CD in einer Aufnahme aus dem Jahr 1962. Qualitativ liegt sie zwischen der mit dem Cleveland Orchestra aus dem Jahre 1957 und der berühmten Aufzeichnung aus dem Jahr 1967. Die Leidenschaft trifft zwar den Zuhörer, doch bleibt unter den Erwartungen des Orchesters zurück.

page 7 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de deropernfreund.de 03.08.2013 (Egon Bezold - 2013.08.03)

Die Live-Ernte aus dem Kunsthaus Luzern (August 1962) enthüllt die für den Dirigenten typischen interpretatorischen Erkennungsmarken. Da steht alles wie aus einem Guss da, wirkt akkurat durchstrukturiert, verrät beispielgebendes Formbewusstsein. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Scherzo Año XXVIII - Nº 288 - Septiembre 2013 ( - 2013.09.01)

Audite: 40 años de un buscador de tesoros

Audite: 40 años de un buscador de tesoros Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Neue Luzerner Zeitung Montag, 16. September 2013 / Nr. 213 (Fritz Schaub - 2013.09.16)

Anfänge der Festival-Starparade

Anfänge der Festival-Starparade Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Der Landbote Montag, 16. September 2013 (Herbert Büttiker - 2013.09.16)

Der Nachhall des Festvivals

Der Nachhall des Festvivals Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Pizzicato N° 236 - 10/2013 (RéF - 2013.10.01)

Szell live in Luzern

An guten Aufnahmen mit George Szell mangelt es nicht und beide Werke dieser CD gibt es in hervorragenden Studioproduktionen mit dem 'Cleveland Orchestra'. Dennoch sind diese beiden Interpretationen durchaus nicht uninteressant.

In einer generell recht eruptiven, rubatogesteuerten Achten Symphonie Antonin Dvoraks erreicht Szell eine bemerkenswerte Klangbalance und blühende Farben. Die erste Brahms-Symphonie ist unglaublich kraftvoll, von der ersten Minute an dem Finalsatz zustrebend. Und dennoch bleibt diese Version auch dem

page 8 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de zweifelnden Brahms nichts schuldig. Szell war eben ein Dirigent, der die Musik nicht einfach laufen ließ, sondern sie formend vorantrieb.

Classica – le meilleur de la musique classique & de la hi-fi n° 156 octobre 2013 (Stéphane Friédérich - 2013.10.01)

Voilà des témoignages qui délecteront les mélomanes. Deux d'entre eux... Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Audiophile Audition September 26, 2013 (Gary Lemco - 2013.09.26)

Szell’s absolute mania for orchestral balance and architectural coherence invests both readings with an extraordinary fusion of symmetry and transparency, undergirded by a ferocious rhythmic propulsion. The miracle of the Szell sound lies in its linear extension of them musical line – rather literalist in the Toscanini tradition – combined the delicacy of inter-textual colors, upon which Szell insists the players enunciated with the utmost clarity of expression. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Fono Forum November 2013 (Christoph Vratz - 2013.11.01)

Wider die Mär vom Kriecher

Wer tief gräbt, wird fündig. Das beweisen neue Editionen mit den Dirigenten und Leonard Bernstein mit Aufnahmen aus den vierziger Jahren sowie der Auftakt zu einer neuen Reihe mit Konzertmitschnitten vom Luzern-Festival.

Es begann am Abend des 23. August 1945, als Leo Borchard in Berlin auf offener Straße von einem amerikanischen Besatzungssoldaten erschossen wurde. Borchard war russischer Dirigent und während des Auftrittsverbots von Wilhelm Furtwängler Chef des Berliner Philharmonischen Orchesters. Nun schlug die Stunde des damals 33-jährigen und weitgehend unbekannten Sergiu Celibidache, frisch absolvierter Studiosus der Mathematik, Philosophie und Musik und kriegsbedingt nicht promovierter Josquin-Desprez-Forscher. Nach eigener Aussage "politisch eine Jungfrau", gelangte Celibidache ans Pult des Berliner Renommier-Orchesters, ausgestattet mit einer Lizenz für alle vier Besatzungszonen.

Sechs Tage nach Borchards Tod stand also der junge Rumäne, der bis dahin lediglich einigen Hochschul- und Laienorchestern vorgestanden hatte, vor seinem neuen Orchester und dirigierte Werke von Rossini, Weber, Dvorak. Mehr als 400 weitere Male hat Celibidache die Philharmoniker dirigiert und sie für Furtwänglers Comeback fit gehalten bzw. sie auf die ihm eigene Weise auf Zack gebracht. Als der schließlich entnazifizierte Chef wieder auf seinen alten Posten zurückkehren konnte, fand er ein topgeschultes Orchester vor.

Eine der speziellen Herausforderungen dieser Interimszeit bestand darin, Musiker und Publikum mit Komponisten bekannt zu machen oder vielmehr zu versöhnen, die während des Dritten Reichs als unerwünscht galten: Hindemith, Strawinsky, Bartok, Prokofjew oder Darius Milhaud. Das musikalische Berlin lag dem vitalen Schlacks, der sich mit virtuosem Temperament am Pult gebierte, schnell zu Füßen,

page 9 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de da er die vom Krieg ausgemergelten Musiker, wild die Arme in die Luft werfend, neu antrieb und motivierte.

Nun war Celibidache sein Leben lang auch ein reger Widerspruchsgeist, nicht zuletzt in eigener Sache: Er liebte die orchestrale Perfektion, lehnte aber das Medium der Schallplatte ab, obwohl gerade dort jene Perfektion erwünscht war, die er so liebte. Nicht erwehren konnte er sich gegen eine Reihe von Live-Mitschnitten, die posthum dem Schallplatten- bzw. CD-Markt zugeführt wurden, darunter insbesondere die Dokumente seiner Münchner Zeit. Jetzt liegt eine zwölf CDs umfassende Edition mit Nachkriegsaufnahmen aus Celibidaches Berliner Zeit vor, mit Aufnahmen dreier Berliner Orchester: den Philharmonikern, dem Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester und dem Radio-Symphonieorchester des RIAS.

Man begegnet in dieser Box einigen Raritäten wie Cesar Cuis "In modo populari" oder Reinhold Glieres Konzert für Koloratursopran und Orchester, Rudi Stephans "Musik für Orchester" oder Walter Pistons zweiter Sinfonie. Hinzu kommen Werke, die man mit Celibidache, gemessen an seinen späteren Jahren, nicht unbedingt in Verbindung bringt, etwa ein Violinkonzert von Vivaldi oder eine Suite nach Purcells "King Arthur". Auf der anderen Seite stehen Werke, die den großen Eigenwilligen immer wieder begleitet haben, Felix Mendelssohns "Italienische", Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel" oder Werke von Tschaikowsky, Brahms und Beethoven.

Es ist sicher schwierig, aus diesem insgesamt heterogenen Repertoire und in der Zusammenarbeit mit drei Orchestern bereits eine unverwechselbare Handschrift erkennen zu können; dennoch gibt es Kennzeichen, die auf den furiosen, individualistischen und unbeugsamen Stil dieses Dirigenten schließen lassen. Werke wie Tschaikowskys Zweite oder Hector Berlioz' "Corsaire"-Ouvertüre zeigen bereits die ganze Spannbreite des großen Sensibilissimus und des sperrigen Draufgängers, der zwischen diesen Polen ständig eine Form von Wahrheit und Vollkomme suchte. Als exemplarisches Beispiel für diese Haltung darf das Finale aus Mendelssohns Vierter gelten: Hier dürften in den Proben die Fetzen geflogen sein, bis alles so saß, wie es nun, in der Aufnahme vom November 1953, sitzt, bis die Streicher wie ein Mann durch das kleine Fugato wirbelten und die Holzbläser mit delikatester Präzision ihren Saltarello tanzten.

Dagegen wirkt etwa der Mitschnitt von Chopins zweitem Klavierkonzert mit dem Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester und Raoul Koczalski als Solist ein wenig unbeholfen; das Maestoso im Kopfsatz gerät stellenweise zu rassig, das orchestrale Tutti im Allegro vivace beinahe draufgängerisch. In etlichen Mitschnitten zeigt sich, dass das Bild vom tempodehnenden Celibidache, vor allem in diesen frühen Einspielungen, eine Mär ist. Ob in Bizets C-Dur-Sinfonie, in Brahms' Vierter oder insbesondere in den beiden Ecksätzen von Prokofjews "Klassischer Sinfonie": Zwar ist Celibidache gewiss nicht auf der Suche nach neuen Geschwindigkeitsrekorden, doch wie er Dynamik und Spannkraft, rhythmische Präzision und das innere Tempo des Musizierens zueinander in Beziehung stellt, macht ihn nicht zum Beschwörer von Kriechformaten.

Am 29. und 30. November 1954 leitete Celibidache letztmalig die Philharmoniker, bevor am 30. November Wilhelm Furtwängler starb. Still und nicht wirklich heimlich rechnete er sich Chancen aus, dessen Posten übernehmen zu können. Doch die Mehrheit des Orchesters stand seinem Drill skeptisch gegenüber, einige flüsterten sogar hinter vorgehaltener Hand, er sei ein russischer Spion. Furtwänglers Nachfolger wurde Karajan, der einer kommerziellen und medialen Verbreitung von Konzerten und Schallplattenproduktionen weit offener gegenüberstand als der sich konsequent weigernde Celibidache. […] Im Jahr seines 75. Geburtstages hat das Lucerne Festival mit einer eigenen CD-Reihe begonnen, die beim Label Audite erscheint. und Clara Haskil sind mit Mozarts d-MolI-Konzert KV 466 zu hören, eine Aufführung, die der Solistin als "unvergesslich" in Erinnerung geblieben ist. Robert Casadesus fand in Dimitri Mitropoulos einen kongenialen Partner für Beethovens fünftes Klavierkonzert – dies war zugleich der erste Auftritt der Wiener Philharmoniker in Luzern. George Szell ist mit zwei Werken vertreten, mit der achten Sinfonie von Dvorák (deren "Grazioso"-Charakter im dritten Satz hier auf beispielhafte Weise eingefangen wurde!) und der Ersten von Brahms, aufgezeichnet im August 1969 (mit der Tschechischen Philharmonie) bzw. 1962 (mit dem Schweizer Festival-Orchester). spielt das Violinkonzert von Tschaikowsky und das zweite Konzert von Bartók, begleitet von und Lorin Maazel. Nach diesem verheißungsvollen Beginn darf man der Fortsetzung dieser Serie mit großer Neugierde entgegensehen.

page 10 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de www.musicweb-international.com November 2013 (John Quinn - 2013.11.13)

Here’s another release in Audite’s new series of archive performances from the Lucerne Festival. The sources for both performances are original broadcast tapes; the concerts were recorded and transmitted by Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) and it must be said straightaway that the sound quality is good and Audite, as they usually do, seem to have made a fine job of the transfer process.

This generously filled disc brings two performances by George Szell, who appeared on several occasions at the festival in Lucerne from 1956; this concert with the Czech Philharmonic was his last appearance there before his death in 1970.

The Brahms First Symphony was central to Szell’s repertoire. According to the very informative notes he programmed it in no fewer than fourteen of his twenty-four seasons in Cleveland. He’d made the first of two commercial recordings of the work with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1957 - a second was to follow in 1966, also in Cleveland. One assumes, therefore, that he knew the score like the back of his hand yet there’s no trace of the routine here. The sostenuto introduction to the first movement has excellent forward momentum, a characteristic sadly lacking in a performance by Simone Young which I reviewed only recently. At this point in the Szell reading I wrote down in my notes ‘purposeful’ and that wasn’t the last time that term was to be written down as this performance unfolded. The main allegro is athletic and muscular. The rhythms are taut - this is pretty lean Brahms – and momentum is maintained even when Szell relaxes with the music. The exposition repeat is not taken; that may be a pity but the conviction and drive of the performance set aside any objections. This is, overall, a powerful and thrusting reading of the movement and, played like this, it makes one wonder why Brahms had such trouble over composing his first symphony; Szell imbues the music with great certainty.

The Andante sostenuto is perhaps a bit less mellow in character than some readings I’ve heard. I think I’d characterise Szell’s way with the music as strong and serious. However, there’s also nobility in his reading, not least when we reach those lovely concluding pages with the horn and violin solos, here expertly delivered. When the finale is reached Szell achieves considerable tension at the start. The horn solo really does sound like an alphorn – perhaps a modest degree of hand-stopping? The big tune is launched with fine momentum and thereafter the music is full of energy and drive – this was another occasion when that word ‘purposeful’ was scribbled down. As the finishing line comes into view Szell really increases the tension – and the drive – bringing this gripping reading to an exciting end.

If anything the Dvořák performance is even finer. This was the last of a series of three concerts given by the Czech Philharmonic on what was their first visit to Lucerne and it appears that this concert – an all-Dvořák programme – was the only one conducted by Szell. Like the Brahms First, this was a symphony with which Szell identified strongly. By the time this Lucerne performance took place he’d recorded the symphony twice and he was to make one more recording of it – his very last – in 1970. This Lucerne performance benefits, therefore, from having a conductor on the podium who was really familiar with the score and directing an orchestra whose members had the music in their blood: it’s a potent combination and, my goodness, does it work!

The performance gets off to a most promising start: that glorious opening melody is warmly sung. Thereafter the lyrical side of the movement comes over excellently but Szell also imparts drive and fire into the performance when it’s required - for example around 7:00. The nostalgic, affectionate Adagio is beautifully done and sounds thoroughly idiomatic. One relishes also the occasions when Dvořák’s writing becomes more passionate and the players respond accordingly. The third movement is an absolute delight, especially the trio. Szell and his players put just the right amount of ‘give’ into the rhythms without ever sacrificing the shape or momentum of the music. I’ve seen the finale described as ‘footloose variations’. That’s not a bad description but there’s nothing footloose about this performance. Szell keeps a tight rein on the proceedings - as you’d expect from this conductor – but the miracle is that he manages to do so in such a way that the music never sounds constrained. Instead the performance has plenty of high spirits and

page 11 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de is full of life and colour. The closing pages are very exciting indeed.

What is it about hearing Czech music played by a fine Czech orchestra? Everything sounds just right, not least the orchestral colours and the way the rhythms are inflected. This performance of my favourite Dvořák symphony is a very good example of the Czech accent in Dvořák.

I enjoyed this disc enormously. Neither orchestra is technically flawless but both play extremely well for Szell and the minor blemishes, such as they are, are more than offset by the sense of spirit in both performances. As for Szell, he’s on excellent form here, conducting two excellent and charismatic performances.

I’m delighted that these two performances have been made available on CD. Since the presentation standards are up to Audite’s usual high standards, which enhances the appeal of this release, this disc is a very enticing proposition.

BBC Radio 3 9. November 2013 (Andrew McGregor - 2013.11.09)

A view abstracts from Andrew McGregor talking about the performance of Dvořáks Symphony No. 8:

- orchestra with its own signature sound - they sound as though they really love playing for him [George Szell] - it’s a vivid and warm recording, loads of detail, a welcoming recording

Ivan Hewett added:

- it’s that wonderful combination of the extraordinarily characterful playing and the sound of the orchestra itself - that famous Szell clarity is there as well - an extraordinarily vivid sense of place and occasion

Der Kurier 10.11.2013 (Alexander Werner - 2013.11.10)

An der Spitze der dafür berufenen Tschechischen Philharmonie trifft der gebürtige Ungar [...] das heimatliche Kolorit der Musik kongenial. [...] Das spontane lebendige Live-Gefühl lässt den Mitschnitt zur interessanten Alternative seiner Studioeinspielung mit dem Cleveland Orchester werden. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 12 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Classical Recordings Quarterly Autumn 2013 (Norbert Hornig - 2013.10.01)

Now 40 years old, the Audite label, based in Detmold in Germany, has built up a remarkable catalogue of classical recordings. Audiophile connoisseurs can find many new recordings of the highest standards on Audite SACDs, as well as a steadily growing number of carefully remastered historical recordings, especially from German broadcasting archives – the former RIAS for example. It is important to stress that Audite has access to original tapes, and so the sound quality on its editions is better than on unlicensed versions of the same performances from second-generation sources available elsewhere.

On 23 June the label celebrated its birthday in Berlin. This was a convenient opportunity to introduce a new series of historical recordings from the Luzern Festival, which was founded in 1938. In cooperation with Audite the Swiss Festival authorities are now releasing outstanding concert recordings of great artists who have shaped its history and tradition. Most of the recordings are previously unreleased, and come from the archive of Swiss Radio and Television (SRF), which has regularly broadcast events from the Luzern Festival. The first three CDs are newly available, and they are real highlights. Clara Haskil is the soloist in Mozart’s No. 20, KV 466, with Otto Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra (1959). This wise, reflective reading is coupled with Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, with Robert Casadesus and the Philharmonic Orchestra und Dimitri Mitropoulos, from 1957 (CD 95.623).

The second CD is dedicated to Isaac Stern. Live recordings with Stern are true rarities. At Luzern Festivals in 1956 and 1958 he played the Second Violin Concerto of Béla Bartók (1956) and the Tchaikovsky Concerto (1958). These are fiery and full-blooded interpretations. The Swiss Festival Orchestra is conducted respectively by Ernest Ansemet and Lorin Maazel, whose Festival debut this was (CD 95.624).

The third release is released in homage to George Szell, who conducts the Swiss Festival Orchestra in Brahms’s First Symphony (1962) and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8, taped in 1969. There was always a special kind of chemistry between Czech performers and Dvorák. Every accent is in the right place, and the music comes directly from the heart. Nothing will go wrong here and when a conductor like Szell takes the baton something outstanding is likely to happen (CD 95.625).

A set of seven CDs from Audite is of special interest to enthusiasts and admirers of the Amadeus Quartet. From the beginning of its career this ensemble regularly came to the RIAS studios at Berlin, and over 20 years recorded a cross-section of its repertoire. Audite is releasing these documents in six volumes. The first is dedicated to Beethoven (CD 21.424). Between 1950 and 1967 the Amadeus Quartet recorded the whole cycle in Berlin, except Op. 74. The set is supplemented by the String Quintet, Op. 29, with viola player Cecil Aronowitz. Listeners have the opportunity here to follow the development and changes in the Amadeus style over a span of two decades. It is important to stress that all the movements were recorded in single unedited takes. It is interesting to have these Beethoven recordings as companions to the studio recordings made for DG by the Quartet between 1959 and 1963. […]

page 13 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Annie Fischer plays Schumann: Piano Concerto, Op. 54 - Leon Fleisher plays Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 |

CD aud 95.643

International Piano May / June 2016 (Benjamin Ivry - 2016.05.01)

No laughing matter

‘Playing’ the piano never seems quite the right way of describing Annie Fischer at the keyboard. Sober, serious and uncompromising are the heroic qualities that she brought to her performances. Benjamin Ivry explores the life and career of an artist who looked tragedy unflinchingly in the eye, bringing a steely intensity to her music-making.

In a typically thrilling concert performance from late in her career, a septuagenarian Annie Fischer played Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with the NHK Symphony conducted by Miltiades Caridis. In the 1989 video, the granitic Hungarian grandma laid down the law with uncompromising grandeur. One thinks of Irene Worth, the American actress long resident in the UK, whose tough-as-nails, omniscient Grandma Kurnitz in Neil Simon’s film Lost in Yonkers moved audiences.

Beyond such matriarchal flamboyance and energy, Fischer’s performances were noted for their intense idiomatic understanding and devil-may-care absolutism, despite wrong notes. Her inspiration derived from the era of Artur Schnabel, during which the musical message was primordial, not the note-for-note perfection expected from studio recordings. There was something sublime in the sheer limpidity of her best solo work, as in a Brahms Sonata in F minor (on BBC Legends 4054-2), recorded at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall in 1961. Yet in Fischer’s renditions, especially from her later years, there can be a noteworthy absence of merriment or festivity in some of the more playful or witty passages, for example in Beethoven and Mozart. This unrelentingly tragic approach sometimes fails to express an inherent element in the music. Fischer laboured heroically at the keyboard; she did not ‘play’ the piano. Any mere ludic aspiration might be too trivial for an artist of such high seriousness.

On the other hand, she often conveys a take-no-prisoners attitude, as in a Schumann Kreisleriana from 1986 (BBC Legends 4141). Conquering this score seems akin to scaling an Alpine peak unaided. Sombre and sober, she boldly plumbed emotional depths of the most demanding Classical and Romantic scores. Her Mozart concertos, especially in the 1980s, could have tragic weight bordering on ponderousness. Yet this is vastly preferable to the superficial, fleetfingered gloss with which these works are sometimes dispatched.

After hearing her dense 1968 studio recording of Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat D960 (reissued on Hungaroton 41011) one might wish to call for ‘More light!’ (as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe reportedly did on the occasion of his last gasp). Even the gossamer and celebratory final two movements of Schubert’s D960, marked Scherzo allegro vivace con delicatezza and Allegro, ma non troppo, express disquiet and adamant feelings in Fischer’s weighty hands. This is even more evident in a somewhat lumbering traversal, marred by technical hiccups, of Schubert’s Sonata No 20 D959 from a 1984 Montreal recital (on Palexa CD-0514). Still, the overall integrity and cohesiveness of Fischer’s performances renders such quibbles relatively meaningless.

page 14 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de No such qualms impede our appreciation of her best recordings, such as a handful of versions of Beethoven Third Concerto. On one of these from 1957, with the Bavarian State Orchestra led by (available on Pristine Audio PASC400), the vivacity of soloist and accompanying orchestra are ideally matched, driving the performance along with vigorous momentum. In a live Mozart Piano Concerto No 22 K482 from 1956 with Otto Klemperer (Palexa 515), or No 23 K488 with the Philharmonia and (Documents 299267), courtly accompanists fluent in the Mozartian idiom proved apt interlocutors.

Among many intriguing recordings of one of her warhorses – Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor – a high place must be granted to a live performance from Lucerne with the Philharmonia and (on Audite 95643). Then there is a pellucid studio Bartók Third Concerto from 1955 with (Warner Classics 68733); atypically effervescent Mozart concertos from the 1950s with the Concertgebouw Orchestra and Otto Klemperer (Archiphon ARC-WU099-100); and a fizzy Beethoven Third Concerto from 1956, again with the Concertgebouw and Klemperer (Archiphon ARC-WU092-93). The impression of an endless treasure trove of artistically rewarding recordings is accurate: Annie Fischer’s discography really is that rich.

Fischer’s solo work is equally lively, in such mainstays as Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata (an ideal 1958 studio version reissued on Warner Classics 634123). The scale and architectural scope of her conception of Beethoven sonatas makes even her later complete set, with its highs and lows (Hungaroton 41003) worthy of sustained attention. A 1960s video, about which less-than-precise information exists, features Fischer playing the Pathétique in Budapest’s Great Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. At times her tempi are so fast as to suggest she feared being hustled off the stage for not finishing promptly. A less enchanting experience are two-ton, sometimes lurching 1970s studio renditions of late Beethoven that sound ungainly. In their own way, even these flawed performances by Fischer are as daringly individual as Schnabel’s, though ultimately less convincing – at least to some listeners.

Fischer needed no Polonius to know how to be true to herself. It seems apt that she died while listening to a radio broadcast of Bach’s St John Passion. A large-scale, emotive reading of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 5 with Otto Klemperer from 1950 (Guild GHCD 2360) is further evidence of her devotion to this composer, and collegial rapport with this tricky conductor.

Where did this acute artistry develop? Fischer studied at Budapest’s Franz Liszt Academy with the and composer Ernő Dohnányi (1877–1960) and the pedagogue Arnold Székely (1874-1958). The latter also taught Andor Földes, Louis Kentner, Lívia Rév, and . In 1933, still in her teens, Fischer won the first Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, a contest in which Louis (born Lajos) Kentner was placed third and Andor Földes eighth. Relatively early in her career, she was performing and learning from such celebrated maestros as Ernest Ansermet, Adrian Boult, Fritz Busch and Willem Mengelberg. Starting in the 1950s, she made studio recordings with some excellent conductors, including Fricsay and Markevitch, but some of Fischer’s finest surviving performances with orchestra have yet to be transferred to CD. An online discography by Yuan Huang* includes enticing items such as a Bartók Third Concerto from 1955 led by the eminent Hungarian conductor László Somogyi. There also survives a 1963 Beethoven Emperor Concerto from Russia, led by the Latvian maestro Arvīds Jansons (father of Mariss Jansons); a 1970 Brahms Second Concerto with Christoph von Dohnányi; and a 1972 Beethoven Fourth Concerto conducted by Ernest Bour. If and when these performances become more widely available, a fuller impression of the range and scope of Fischer’s artistic achievement will become possible.

For now, the inner mysteries of Fischer’s profound artistry may be revealed in part by a surviving 1992 rehearsal fi lm of Mozart’s Concerto No 22 K482. Fischer wears a headscarf and, during the orchestral tuttis, puff s on a cigarette stashed in an ashtray inside the piano. The conductor Tamás Vásáry, himself a noted pianist, looks at her with justified veneration; indeed he saw her as a mentor, as did another veteran Hungarian keyboard master of today, Peter Frankl. When Fischer’s fingers are otherwise unengaged, she conducts with her left hand for a few instants, then remembers the smouldering cigarette conveniently stashed inside the piano. She reaches for it with her right hand and takes a drag, savouring what are clearly twin necessities in life: Mozart and nicotine. Then she conducts along a little with her right hand, using the cigarette as a tiny baton, inhaling repeatedly before replacing the ciggie in its ashtray just before the next

page 15 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de keyboard passage.

The Romanian-French aphorist Emil Cioran, himself an ex-tobacco aficionado, once proclaimed that during his smoking days, he ‘could not even appreciate a landscape without a cigarette in his hand’. Likewise, Fischer was an artist whose life and work were intertwined with smoking. That said, to apply the joshing sobriquet ‘Ashtray Annie’ to Fischer, as London’s orchestral musicians reputedly did during her lifetime, trivialises the passion she invested in all her activities, whether for music or self-administering jolts of nicotine.

Tobacco deprivation in concert halls may possibly have resulted in the peremptory, nervy attack that mars some of Fischer’s live performances, especially of Beethoven. Life struggles also doubtless affected her world view. During the Second World War, Fischer fled her homeland to Sweden with her husband, the musicologist Aladár Tóth (1898-1968). She was born Jewish, and 70 percent of Hungary’s Jews (an estimated 450,000 of them) were murdered by the Nazis. Despite this carnage, Fischer returned to Budapest after the war, and stayed through successive Communist dictatorships. This wartime exile and impoverished life in the postwar Soviet bloc may explain a certain bleak outlook compatible with a tragic view of art and life.

With fanfare on her centenary in 2014, the Hungarian government issued a postal stamp in Fischer’s honour. This may seem ironic to some observers, given the re-emergence in Hungary of far-right politicians and their hateful antisemitic rhetoric. To the piano world, Hungary is now the place where Budapest-born András Schiff dares not return for a visit because if he does so, his compatriots have threatened to ‘cut off both of [his] hands,’ as Schiff told the BBC. Official state celebrations of Annie Fischer in Hungary have not mentioned her Judaism.

Genuine honour to Fischer comes from the world’s piano lovers. During her lifetime she received justified praise from critics such as Andrew Keener, who in the July 1983 Musical Times commended Fischer’s London recital for ‘musicmaking that radiated humanity, humour and an abundant sense of enjoyment. Rarely can momentary aberrations have mattered so little and never once was there any suspicion that faulty technique was responsible. Over and again, notably in the second and fourth movements of Beethoven’s Sonata Op 101, exuberantly characterised, Annie Fischer would follow a momentary sketchiness with something technically remarkable by any standards’. Keener’s inclusion of humour as a feature of her playing may indicate that on occasion the aforementioned caveat about uniform seriousness may be overstated.

Even Charles Rosen, the American pianist who could be hypercritical about colleagues, wrote aff ectionately in his Piano Notes: the World of the Pianist (2002) about sitting on the jury of the 1966 Leeds Competition with Fischer (other jurors included Gina Bachauer, Maria Curcio, Rudolf Firkušný, Nikita Magaloff and Lev Oborin). Rosen lauded Fischer as a ‘pianist for whom I (like almost everybody else) had the utmost admiration, who gave a good mark to the pianist I thought should get another chance; she was rather taken with a good-looking Korean contestant, so I voted for her candidate and she voted for mine. In the next round, I was sitting next to her while the Korean was playing, and she turned to me and said softly: “He isn’t very good, is he?” – “No,” I replied, trying to invest my reply with the proper melancholy.’

Just as some operatic divas and divos show their mettle best in live recordings, so Fischer seemed to exult in the drama and electricity of a performance in the presence of an audience, rather than an antiseptic, Apollonian recording studio. Even today, responding to the energetic physicality of her playing, some critics who are unaware of the evolution of gender politics refer to Fischer’s ‘masculine’ style. What they simply mean is that she was one of the mightiest of her century.

page 16 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Record Geijutsu FEB. 2016 ( - 2016.02.01)

Japanische Rezension siehe PDF!

American Record Guide May / June 2016 (Alan Becker - 2016.05.01)

Many will be familiar with Fischer’s 1960 studio recording of the Schumann with Klemperer. This one with Giulini dates from the same year and comes to us from the Lucerne Festival. The performances are similar, though few will be surprised that the sound (particularly the orchestra strings) is better on the studio recording. Still, both are more than acceptable, particularly if you like Fischer’s more aggressive way with the concerto.

Fleisher’s way with the Beethoven is already well known from the studio set with Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. That set is one of the marvels of Beethoven performance and has a recording that leaves nothing to be desired. This Beethoven 2 is similar, though few could make claims for its supremacy as an orchestral recording. The ad hoc ensemble plays well for Szell, and the piano sound here is quite good.

Could I recommend purchase of this recording? Well, yes and no. It is certainly a must for admirers of these artists who must have every recording they ever made. No if you already have the studio recordings. Still, I was seduced once again by Fleisher’s marvelous playing.

Fanfare April 2016 (Huntley Dent - 2016.04.01)

Two illustrious pianists with star-crossed careers are honored here, and acquit themselves with honor. The eminent Hungarian pianist Annie Fischer made her Swiss debut in Zurich when she was 14, but she was forced to spend the Nazi era in Sweden, as a Jewish artist in exile, and once she returned home in 1946, her touring outside Hungary was limited. This account of the Schumann Piano Concerto from 1960 was her only appearance at the Lucerne Festival; she had played the same work at her Zurich debut three decades previously. (Fischer appeared only once at the Salzburg Festival also, with the Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3 under Solti.) Her playing is so adroit and natural—to the point of sounding effortless—that one easily believes Schumann was one of Fischer’s favorite composers. Her well-balanced interpretation flows in perfect accord with Giulini, who included among his talents the skills of a great accompanist. The Philharmonia, honed by Karajan since its founding, plays with a lovely, rounded tone. Perhaps the finale is a bit too relaxed and self-contained to fit Schumann’s marking of Allegro vivace, but this is a flawless reading in which cultivation and Romanticism are beautifully merged. Fischer is still undervalued outside Hungary, and this live performance is a major addition to her discography.

Leon Fleisher’s fate was to lose the use of the last two fingers of his right hand only months after this appearance at the Lucerne Festival in the summer of 1962 (the highly unreliable program notes attribute the onset of paralysis to a condition called “pianist’s neurosis”—let’s hope something was lost going from German to English). He was one of the brightest lights among post-war American pianists, and even though Fleisher was a pupil of Artur Schnabel’s, he approaches the Beethoven Second Piano Concerto with the cool, crystalline touch of Horowitz, who had a profound effect on that entire generation. The passagework is stunning, not just for clarity but also for the nuance Fleisher adds even when moving at top speed. His complete Beethoven concerto cycle with Szell has never left the catalog since the early 1960s, and on this

page 17 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de occasion they remain aligned in preferring a fleet, Haydnesque approach, albeit with a fairly robust-sounding orchestra; there is minimal rubato and no slow down for second themes. The atmosphere of a live concert adds an extra touch of exuberance from both conductor and soloist.

Unlike Fischer, Fleisher returned several times to Lucerne, twice to play concertos for the left hand by Ravel and Prokofiev, then twice more, in 2008 and 2012, for solo recitals after he recovered the use of both hands. It’s worth nothing that on the second half of this 1962 concert Szell led a very fine reading of the Brahms First Symphony, previously released in Audite’s admirable series devoted to Swiss Radio broadcasts from the Lucerne Festival. Every installment to date has been warmly received by Fanfare critics.

Despite a few egregious passages, the program notes contain useful information. The recorded sound, which favors the piano considerably, is very good for a mono radio broadcast, affording a rich timbre to the instrument even if the orchestra is a bit thin and edgy, but only a bit. Artistically, the archives have yielded up two must-listen performances.

natürlich - Kundenmagazin für Reformwaren und Naturkosmetik März 2016 ( - 1999.11.30)

Für Klassikfreunde

Glasklare Töne

Annie Fischer mit einer kammermusikalisch hellhörigen und ungemein poetischen Deutung von Schumanns Klavierkonzert Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

eve - ernährung | vitalität | erleben 2.2016 März/April ( - 2016.03.01)

Für Klassikfreunde

Glasklare Töne

Annie Fischer mit einer kammermusikalisch hellhörigen und poetischen Deutung von Schumanns Klavierkonzert Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 18 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Musik & Theater 03/04 März/April 2016 (Werner Pfister - 2016.03.01)

Zwei Seiten einer Medaille

[Fleisher] verzaubert mit einer feingliedrigen, leichthändigen Pianistik, als hätte er schon von den modernen Bemühungen um einen historisch authentischen, das heißt entschlackten und verschlankten Beethoven gehört. Herrlich sein jeu perle, seine luzide Artikulation und artikulatorische Wendigkeit. Dieser Beethoven war damals zweifellos ein Ereignis. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Gramophone February 2016 (Rob Cowan - 2016.02.01)

Pianists live in Lucerne

I was delighted to encounter Audite's CD of a riveting Lucerne Festival performance of Schumann's Piano Concerto by Annie Fischer with the Philharmonia under Carlo Maria Giulini (more assertive than the commercial version she made with Klemperer). Forceful, cleanly articulated and with a poetically charged Intermezzo, it's a performance that shows Fischer to have been a notably strong, intellectual player. The coupling finds Leon Fleisher tackling Beethoven's Fourth Concerto with George Szell conducting the Swiss Festival Orchestra. A good pairing for Fischer's Schumann, this: both players are well equipped technically and musically compelling. Good, forwardly-balanced mono sound throughout.

Audio 03/2016 (Andreas Lucewicz - 2016.03.01)

Immer wieder bietet das Label Audite historische Trouvaillen, in diesem Fall zwei absolut hörenswerte Dokumente vom Lucerne Festival 1960: Schumanns Klavierkonzert mit Annie Fischer und dem Philharmonia Orchestra unter Carlo Maria Giulini sowie das zweite Klavierkonzert von Beethoven mit Leon Fleisher und dem Swiss Festival Orchestra unter George Szell. Bei Annie Fischer faszinieren der "goldene Kern" im Ton und der zarte Lyrismus im Spiel, die Balance von machtvollem Schwung und Innigkeit. Fast antagonistisch wirkt Leon Fleishers Beethoven-Interpretation: wunderbar transparent und mit luftigem jeu perlé. Diese CD ist ein Glücksfall!

BBC Music Magazine February 2016 (Julian Haylock - 2016.02.01)

Recorded live at the Lucerne Festival in remarkably fine sound, Fischer's golden tone recalls an already bygone age, while Fleisher's dazzling clarity points to the future.

page 19 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Fono Forum Februar 2016 (Götz Thieme - 2016.02.01)

Kritiker-Umfrage 2015

Künstler für Kenner live in Luzern 1960 und 1962. Annie Fischer beispielsweise spielt mit sagenhafter Energie und Poesie.

Midwest Tape 08.12.2015 ( - 2015.12.08)

Released for the first time in their entirety, these remastered live recordings document two piano icons in their Lucerne Festival debuts. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Der Kurier 23.12.2015 (Alexander Werner - 2015.12.23)

Pianistische Höhepunkte

Reizvoll, zwei solche Pianogrößen wie Annie Fischer und Leon Fleisher auf einer neuen CD von Audite in der Reihe mit Live-Mitschnitten vom Lucerne Festival zu hören. Beeindruckend, wie frisch, klar ausgeformt und mit Poesie die 1995 verstorbene Ungarin 1960 Robert Schumanns berühmtes Klavierkonzert spielte. [...] Fleisher und Szell ziehen hörbar an einem Strang, in einer pianistisch transparent strukturierten und expressiven Deutung und einem Orchester auf Augenhöhe, das unter straffer Stabführung zügig und klassizistisch auftrumpft. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

Audiophile Audition November 7, 2015 (Gary Lemco - 2015.11.07)

Both Hungarian virtuoso Annie Fischer (1914-1995) and American pianist Leon... Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 20 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de Crescendo Magazine Le 12 octobre 2015 (Bernadette Beyne - 2015.10.12)

Deux nouvelles merveilles du Festival de Lucerne

Les tempi sont « puissants » dans le sens où ils véhiculent un grand souffle d’énergie soutenue par une pulsation rythmique en dynamique perpétuelle. Et puis, quelle sonorité ! Couleur, chatoiement, toujours expressive. Chaque moment est intensément vécu et conduit, tant musicalement qu’émotionnellement [...] Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

www.pizzicato.lu 13/11/2015 (Alain Steffen - 2015.11.13)

Aufregendes aus Luzern

Auch diese rezente Veröffentlichung der ‘Lucerne Festival’-Reihe von Audite lässt den Hörer an zwei aufregenden Konzertmitschnitten teilhaben. Das Klavierkonzert von Robert Schumann macht aber in erster Linie nicht durch das Spiel der Solistin Annie Fischer hellhörig, sondern es ist vielmehr die hervorragende und wohlüberlegte Orchesterarbeit Carlo Maria Giulinis, die dem Konzert ganz neue Aspekte abgewinnt. Fischer ist natürlich hochkarätig und ihre sehr individuelle, recht vitale, aber nie überzogene Interpretation für die damalige Zeit schon ein gewisses Wagnis. Aber erst zusammen mit Giulini wird sie unschlagbar, und beide, unterstützt von dem exzellenten Philharmonia Orchestra, schenken uns eine der schönsten, ernsthaftesten und ausgewogensten Interpretationen, die man von diesem Stück kennt.

Aber auch das 2. Klavierkonzert von Beethoven mit dem Solisten Leon Fleisher gewinnt erst durch Georg Szell am Pult seine Einmaligkeit. Fleisher spielt eher dezent, fügt sich aber mit sportlich-elegantem Stil in die von Szells schnellen Tempi bestimmte Interpretation. Leider bleibt das Spiel des ‘Swiss Festival Orchestra’, das wohl kaum Szells Anforderungen gerecht wird, nur ungefähr. Trotzdem, wegen den beiden Solisten und vor allem, wegen den beiden Dirigenten ein Must für den Sammler.

Here we have a real collector’s item, with excellent performances, remarkable above all for the congenial interpretations by two outstanding soloists and two exceptional conductors.

Gauchebdo 15 octobre 2015 (Myriam Tetaz-Gramegna - 2015.10.15)

Des concerts qui ont marqué leur époque

La 9ème de Beethoven par Furtwaengler et des concertos par Annie Fischer et Leon Fleischer s'ajoutent à l'Histoire sonore du festival de Lucerne chez Audite.

Ces deux disques ouvrent des perspectives parfois inattendues sur des oeuvres qu’on croit connaître. Full review text restrained for copyright reasons.

page 21 / 21 »audite« Ludger Böckenhoff • Tel.: +49 (0)5231-870320 • Fax: +49 (0)5231-870321 • [email protected] • www.audite.de